GOOD FRIDAY - 21 March 2008

Some Reflections by Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen to meditate on about the meaning of the events of this day.

The Cross (1)

Many a cross we bear is of our own manufacture; we made it by our sins. But the cross which the Savior carried was not His, but ours. One beam in contradiction to another beam was the symbol of our will in contradiction to His own. To the women who met Him on the roadway, He said: "Weep not for Me." To shed tears for the dying Savior is to lament the remedy; it were wiser to lament the sin that caused it. If Innocence itself took a Cross, then how shall we, who are guilty, complain against it?

The Spirit and sin (2)

The night of the Last Supper of our Blessed Lord told of three effects of the Holy Spirit. One of them was: "He will convict you of sin, because you did not believe in Me." How do we know we are sinners. By the Holy Spirit. Not because we break a law. There isn't a driver who hasn't broken the law against speeding. Did you ever lean over your steering wheel and say an act of contrition? Nobody is really sorry for breaking a law, unless he gets caught. The law is for the imperfect. Our Blessed Lord relates sin to unbelief--"Because you did not believe in Me." If we did not believe in Him, we crucified Him. So what is sin? Sin is hurting someone you love. This is sin. That is why the crucifix reminds us of our sin. The life of each and every one of us has been written. The crucifix is my autobiography. The blood is the ink. The nails the pen. The skin the parchment. On every line of that body I can trace my life. In the crown of thorns I can read my pride. In the hands that are dug with nails, I can read avarice and greed. In flesh hanging from Him like purple rags, I can read my lust. In feet that are fettered, I can find the times I ran away and would not let Him follow. Any sin you can think of is written there. This is what the Spirit does for us.

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1. Quote is taken from The World's First Love & is used for the Holy Thursday Meditation in Lent and Easter Wisdom from FULTON J. SHEEN. (Ligouri Publications)

2. March 19th Reflection from Through the Year with FULTON SHEEN. (Ignatius Press)